Exercise? On ‘vacation’?

The morning was filled with a sky like no other. We got up, ready and headed toward Moose for some snowshoeing in Grand Teton National Park. What was supposed to be cloudy and snowing (which we have gotten almost none of by the way) turned out to be parting clouds and lit up Teton range. I admit I wasn’t as prepared to exercise at a high altitude so quickly, but the spectacular views you get by going off the trail is a heck of a lot of fun. The Teton range smacked us in the face all day long. I wanted them never to leave my rear view mirror. The Grand Teton range are something I hope to be able to fully capture someday; although it seems infinitely impossible no matter how hard you try.

The day appeared to be a lull for wildlife again. Toward the end of the day we partially wanted to catch up on sleep. Glad we didn’t. A short one mile drive down to the National Elk Refuge seemed dull on the wildlife front. Almost all the elk were up high on Miller Butte not to be seen by many (probably had something to do with the 45 degree temperature!). As we tailed the end of the butte there were large round brown objects in the distance…Bison! Not just any herd, but one twenty feet from the road! We spent the last few hours before sunset just sitting, recording and photographing the bison. It was such a treat (despite morons running their engines.) These massive one ton bison using their enormous heads as a shovel to dig out whatever grasses they can find to stay alive during this erratic winter.

So speaking of an erratic winter. Have I mentioned how strange the weather is behaving? It might rain tonight… RAIN?! Barely any snow since we got here. It was definitely not what I was expecting. I almost feel like I over packed. It can go from 45 degrees and clear in the valley to subzero temperature with sustained high winds frigidly whipping snow at your face. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.

One of the most amazing, tranquil, untouched pieces of wilderness in winter I have ever seen. Just a short hike in on the Taggart Lake Trail too!

That steam look isn’t from any type of thermals. This is from high winds sweeping off the Teton mountains. The strong winds create micro tornadoes tossing all the snow around creating snow drifts everywhere. Makes you feel as if you were in the desert (I hear you; it is a desert environment with lack of moisture, quite extreme.)

There were clouds casting a shadow as you can see at the floor bottom (6,000+ ft above sea level. Close to 7,000ft.) The Grand Teton range is so large that the early morning light was passing over the clouds and still hitting the Teton mountains!

A bison wandering why someone would stick around in a twenty degree drop in weather with high winds just to see him and a bunch of his friends eat.

Bison (the proper name, NOT buffalo, those are in Africa) are truly one of the now many (sadly) stories of species clinging on for survival. Bison used to roam in the numbers of 60 million across this great county of ours! Thats right, you read that correctly; 60 Million. At one point they were driven down by hunting to estimates of 500-1000 individuals. Not a whole ton of genetic diversity for the fitness of the population. Thanks to conservation efforts their numbers have marginally improve. I say marginally as they are now around 80,000. Not much compared to their original numbers. Unfortunately there is a grave misconception about the last free roaming bison herds at the top of Yellowstone National Park bordering Montana. When bison cross the park boundry (as animals never see nor can understand boundries, being unatural) they are usually rounded up and set for slaughter. The understanding is that they have have contagious cattle to cattle a disease that can be crossed over to herded cows. Ranchers don’t see kindly to that as you could imagine. Understandably to some degree, but the reality is that the bison must be present during a cows pregnancy as they are giving birth, plus there is no solid scientific evidence. Meaning one of the last American free roaming icons may not be for too long.